Orleans - Orleans 1973

Orleans were never a favorite of rock critics, who disliked the soft rock/pop/rock outfit for the same reason they disliked Chicago, America, Player, Pablo Cruise, and Firefall: They saw Orleans as unchallenging. That much is true; Orleans were never the most challenging band in the world. But then, they weren't trying to be. Orleans are what they are -- laid-back, congenial soft rock with occasional R&B influences -- and complaining about the lack of danger in their music is sort of like faulting a romantic comedy for not being as edgy as one of Martin Scorsese's film noir masterpieces. If you're going to honestly evaluate an Orleans album, you have to apply soft rock standards -- not hard rock standards, not punk and new wave standards, not P-Funk standards. And when soft rock standards are applied, one finds that Orleans' self-titled debut album of 1973 is a fairly promising, if imperfect and inconsistent, effort. The LP isn't without pedestrian filler, but its best tracks -- which range from the mildly funky "Tongue-Tied" to the anthemic, gospel-tinged "Half Moon" -- are quite memorable. Although Orleans are a soft rock/pop/rock band first and foremost, they aren't oblivious to soul and funk -- the cynical "Two-Faced World," in fact, combines pop/rock sensibilities with an awareness of Sly & the Family Stone. Orleans were never as funky as Stone or Tower of Power; for that matter, they weren't as gritty or soulful as Janis Joplin, who John & Joanna Hall wrote "Half Moon" for in 1970. But it is safe to say that an appreciation of soul and funk were among the weapons in the band's soft rock/pop/rock arsenal. This 1973 debut wasn't a blockbuster -- Orleans' big commercial breakthrough didn't come until 1975 -- but the soft rock fans who acquired the LP could hear Orleans' potential. AMG.

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Sam Taylor, Jr. - The Tunnels Of My Mind 1969

Soul/blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and band leader. Taylor written hundreds of songs, many of them hits and some even gold records like "Do It 'Til You're Satisfied", performed by the B.T. Express. Taylor worked with Freddie King, Son Seals, Jimmy Witherspoon, Jay & The Americans, Joey Dee, Maxine Brown and Joe Tex. He also was bandleader/guitarist for the likes of Big Joe Turner, Isley Brothers, Tracy Nelson, Otis Redding and Sam & Dave as well as being an esteemed vocalist with Joey Dee & The Starliters, Drifters and The Rascals.

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The Doors - Morrison Hotel 1970

In late 1969, the Doors were reeling. That March, singer Jim Morrison was charged, tried, and convicted of obscenity for allegedly exposing himself at a concert in Miami. It resulted in promoters canceling future gigs. The July release of The Soft Parade provided more angst. Tired of the sound that governed their previous outings, the band incorporated horn and string arrangements with a new melodic accessibility. It signaled an unwelcome change for critics (though it did reach number six and was radically reappraised posthumously). In November they entered the studio with producer Paul Rothchild exhausted, stressed, and angry. Going back to blues and R&B basics seemed like the only direction to pursue.

Morrison Hotel is often dubbed the Doors' blues album, due to raucous opener "Roadhouse Blues," one of the band's most enduring tunes. (Interestingly, it was issued as the B-side of first single "You Make Me Real.") Ray Manzarek leaves behind his organ to pound an upright piano, while guitarist Robby Krieger adds a filthy Chicago-styled riff, prodded by a rock shuffle from drummer John Densmore. The Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian (using the pseudonym "G. Puglese") provides its iconic harmonica wail. "Waiting for the Sun" is one of four tunes Morrison composed himself, and a psychedelic holdover from the 1968 album bearing the same title. Manzarek plays a spacy harpsichord as Krieger offers trippy slide guitar. "You Make Me Real" underscores the blues-rock motif, with roiling electric piano, stinging guitar vamps, and Densmore's swaggering shuffle. Morrison lords over all with his boozy, baritone roar. The organ returns on the downright funky boogie of "Peace Frog," as Morrison sings of "blood in the streets" addressing the civic unrest then gripping the nation. He counters near the end with a spoken stanza from his optimistic poem Newborn Awakening. "Ship of Fools" contains shifting time signatures that cross jazz, R&B, and pop, while the buoyant "Land Ho," offers an adventure-laden lyric in a sprawling rock & roll sea chanty, where Manzarek wields his organ like a mad calliope. Krieger's deep, bluesy, minor-key intro to "The Spy" is framed by jazzy electric piano and Morrison's sultry delivery, which approximates a lounge singer. "Queen of the Highway" is fueled by Densmore's powerful drumming and Manzarek's creative use of the Rhodes piano. One of the Doors' most progressive cuts, it seamlessly integrates blues, jazz, and spacy psychedelia. "Maggie McGill" closes the circle on the blues tip. Krieger's unruly, double-tracked slide riffs duel with a pulsing, distorted organ; Densmore bridges them under Morrison's slithering growl -- it foreshadows the singing style he displayed so abundantly on L.A. Woman in 1971. Blues and R&B were foundational to the Doors' musical vocabulary. They employed them to some degree on all of their albums, but never as consistently, adeptly, or provocatively as they did on Morrison Hotel, with absolutely stunning results. AMG.

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Jeremy & The Satyrs - Jeremy & The Satyrs 1968

Although Jeremy & the Satyrs' album was unusual for its time; its early jazz-rock fusion, with bits of soul and blues, was better on paper than in execution. The vocal numbers usually had pedestrian soul-rock bases, not aided by the hoarse singing (uncredited on the sleeve). There were also instrumental pieces; at times, about the only thing separating this from run-of-the-mill blues-rock or soul-rock was the very jazzy flute. AMG.

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Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band - Uptight 1967

Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band are an England-based soul band. Geno Washington is an American R&B singer, who released five albums with The Ram Jam Band between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo albums beginning in 1976. The Ram Jam Band were formed around 1964 by Pete Gage and Geoff Pullum. Before taking on Geno Washington, whom Gage knew from performing at the RAF Bentwaters US Air Force base, they had a Jamaican Blue Beat singer by the name of Errol Dixon front the band as they embarked on the London club circuit. Gage approached Washington to finance his demobbing to the US and to return to front the band as it seemed essential to have an American to perform US soul rather than the West Indian alternatives in London at that time.

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Swallow - Swallow 1973

Duke & the Drivers had fun living out their fantasy on ABC Records but, under the aegis of the redoubtable Buddy Buie and with help from the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Boston's Swallow were very serious about their craft, and it shows on this collection of understated blues-rock. Vern Miller, Jr. of the Remains, George Leh, and New England personalties Parker Wheeler and Phil Greene (the extra "e" is missing from the legendary engineer's name on this disc) are four of the nine musicians who make up the large outfit. On one of the all-time worst album covers -- a green martian hand holding the nose of the man in the moon (presumably, so he can swallow) -- the nine musicians are displayed above a moonscape, their names out of order with the photos. In 1973, the Atlanta Rhythm Section emerged from the remnants of the Classics IV and, with J.R. Cobb and Barry Bailey of that group on this disc, along with B.J. Thomas/Friend & Lover/Billie Joe Royal producer Buie, one would think Warner Bros. would have been more serious about this outing. Most of the titles are by Miller, making the album a statement by the man Danny Klein of the J. Geils Band calls his favorite bass player. Two co-writes by Leh are included, along with two Randy Newman songs, "Illinois" and the often covered "I'll Be Home." Although Buie co-wrote all the hits of the Atlanta Rhythm Section, his magic is not added here, and perhaps that is what is missing. The record is better than decent -- it is very good -- despite the fact there is no hit to launch it from obscurity. Greene went on to engineer Beaver Brown, New Kids on the Block, and the sessions this writer did with Buddy Guy in 1986, while blind singer Leh developed a following and great reputation performng around the Boston area. "Georgia, Pack My Bags" isn't a hit, nor is "Rockin' Shoes"; perhaps the closest thing to a potential chart climber is "Don't Tell Mama," some kind of answer, not to Etta James, but to Savoy Brown's minor hit from their 1971 Street Corner Talking album, "Tell Mama." At least they showed respect for their elders! There was much potential here; it's too bad the label and/or management mishandled the look of the album, and failed to give this large group a couple of songs their musicianship could work with to reach the masses. But, for fans of the legendary Remains, it is another chapter in the career of Vern Miller and an essential item in order for their collections to be complete. AMG.

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V.A. - Bumpers (Island Sampler) 1970

A bountiful double album package rounding up the cream of the UK Island label's 1970 output, highlighting recent releases and anticipating forthcoming ones and following, of course, a tradition launched by the earlier You Can All Join In and Nice Enough To Eat.
Of all the labels operating in the UK as the decade turned, Island was unquestionably the most adventurous, at the same time as maintaining a stable whose internal logic now seems impeccable. Leaning towards the folkier side of hard rock, and the bluesier edge of prog - an adventure that allowed King Crimson and Mott The Hoople to rub shoulders with Cat Stevens and Traffic - Island rounded up the cream of the British underground, an these periodic compilations showcased it at its best. Indeed, they frequently maintained ad cohesion and sense of musical purpose that the artists themselves often struggled to match. They were more than simple advertisements, however. Bumpers includes two genuine rarities, as both Mott The Hoople and Fairport Convention are represented by otherwise unavailable versions of their contributions ("Thunderbuck Ram" and "Walk Awhile" respectively), while efforts from the Keith Relf/Jim McCarty-era Renaissance, Clouds and Quintessence remind us of a day when even the greatest modern collectibles were regular new releases. Island ranks among the most collectible British labels of the entire rock'n'roll era. Every track on Bumpers offers another reason why. AMG.

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The D.R. Hooker Band - Armageddon 1979

Far lesser-known to collectors than 'The Truth,' D.R. Hooker's second outing is seemingly just as rare and just as good as (if not better than) its predecessor. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that side 1 of this LP is perhaps the best thing Mr. Hooker ever did musically. There's no real "psych" moves here, so let's get that out of the way first - though, one could of course argue how much "psych" is really on the over-hyped first album... Anyways, this record pushes more into the realms of prog and hard rock. At its peak it sounds like The Doors doing a new '70s album with some rando filling in for Jim Morrison. Hooker's voice does kinda grow on ya, but it's buried in the mix here, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

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Miles Davis - Miles Smiles 1967

With their second album, Miles Smiles, the second Miles Davis Quintet really began to hit their stride, delving deeper into the more adventurous, exploratory side of their signature sound. This is clear as soon as "Orbits" comes crashing out the gate, but it's not just the fast, manic material that has an edge -- slower, quieter numbers are mercurial, not just in how they shift melodies and chords, but how the voicing and phrasing never settles into a comfortable groove. This is music that demands attention, never taking predictable paths or easy choices. Its greatest triumph is that it masks this adventurousness within music that is warm and accessible -- it just never acts that way. No matter how accessible this is, what's so utterly brilliant about it is that the group never brings it forth to the audience. They're playing for each other, pushing and prodding each other in an effort to discover new territory. As such, this crackles with vitality, sounding fresh decades after its release. And, like its predecessor, ESP, this freshness informs the writing as well, as the originals are memorable, yet open-ended and nervy, setting (and creating) standards for modern bop that were emulated well into the new century. Arguably, this quintet was never better than they are here, when all their strengths are in full bloom. AMG.
 

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Karma - Karma 1972

Karma was a "rural rock" power trio from Rio de Janeiro, formed by Jorge Amiden (triple-neck guitar), Luiz Mendes Junior (acoustic guitar and vocals), and Alen Cazinho Terra (bass and vocals). In 1972, they released their only album, Karma, on RCA Victor; it is currently a highly acclaimed record that is fiercely sought after by collectors.

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Cal Tjader - The Prophet 1969

From the 1950s until his death, Cal Tjader was practically the point man between the worlds of Latin jazz and mainstream bop; his light, rhythmic, joyous vibraphone manner could comfortably embrace both styles. His numerous recordings for Fantasy and Verve and long-standing presence in the San Francisco Bay Area eventually had a profound influence upon Carlos Santana, and thus Latin rock. He also played drums and bongos, the latter most notably on the George Shearing Quintet's "Rap Your Troubles in Drums," and would occasionally sit in on piano as well. 
Tjader studied music and education at San Francisco State College before hooking up with fellow Bay Area resident Dave Brubeck as the drummer in the Brubeck Trio from 1949 to 1951. He then worked with Alvino Rey, led his own group, and in 1953, joined George Shearing's then hugely popular quintet as a vibraphonist and percussionist. It was in Shearing's band that Tjader's love affair with Latin music began, ignited by Shearing bassist Al McKibbon, nurtured by contact with Willie Bobo, Mongo Santamaria, and Armando Peraza, and galvanized by the '50s mambo craze. When he left Shearing the following year, Tjader promptly formed his own band that emphasized the Latin element yet also played mainstream jazz. Bobo and Santamaria eventually joined Tjader's band as sidemen, and Vince Guaraldi served for a while as pianist and contributor to the band's songbook ("Ginza," "Thinking of You, MJQ").

Tjader recorded a long series of mostly Latin jazz albums for Fantasy from the mid-'50s through the early '60s, switching in 1961 to Verve, where under Creed Taylor's aegis he expanded his stylistic palette and was teamed with artists like Lalo Schifrin, Anita O'Day, Kenny Burrell, and Donald Byrd. Along the way, Tjader managed to score a minor hit in 1965 with "Soul Sauce," a reworking of Dizzy Gillespie/Chano Pozo's "Guacha Guaro," which Tjader had previously cut for Fantasy. Tjader returned to Fantasy in the 1970s, then in 1979 moved over to the new Concord Picante label, where he remained until his death in 1982. AMG.

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Ashkan - In from the Cold 1969

Ashkan are most known for having been led by guitarist Bob Weston, who was in Fleetwood Mac for a while in the early '70s; he'd also replaced Paul Kossoff in Black Cat Bones when Kossoff left to form Free. Unsurprisingly, given those connections, Ashkan's sole album is in the British blues-rock vein, with most of the songs written or co-written by Weston. The songwriting, however, is some distance behind the competent playing. Too, gravelly lead singer Steve Bailey, while bearing trace similarities to Joe Cocker, Robert Plant, and Spooky Tooth's Mike Harrison, isn't nearly as distinctive as any of those vocalists. The songs putter along in an unremarkable heavy blues-rock style, and though there are shades of folk in "Stop (Wait and Listen)" and (appropriately enough) country in "Slightly Country," the compositions are pretty sketchy. That's also true of the 12-minute closer, "Darkness," which has the feel of striving for an ominous epic without justifying its length. The 2010 reissue on Grapefruit adds historical liner notes. AMG.

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Barry Melton - Level with Me 1979

Guitarist Barry Melton entered music in his teens, in San Francisco, as a member of the Instant Action Jug Band, which was where he met Country Joe McDonald, a singer and guitar player who was also putting out an underground newspaper called Rag Baby. The two worked together on some of McDonald's recordings in support of his political journal, and out of that linkup they decided to form a band -- the resulting group was christened Country Joe & the Fish. Melton's lead guitar -- a searing psychedelic assault on the strings -- was as essential a part of the group's three classic albums as McDonald's voice. Amid numerous personnel changes, especially after the third album, Together, Melton and McDonald formed the stable core of the band, which lasted into the late '60s. Melton held the group together after McDonald withdrew from full-time work with the group to get married, and he brought ex-Big Brother & the Holding Company members Peter Albin and David Getz aboard when they were left high and dry after Janis Joplin's split with the band. Working as Barry "The Fish" Melton, he continued as a solo act through the 1970s and into the 1980s, also fronting the Barry "The Fish" Melton Band. Melton has also been a practicing attorney since the early '80s; in more recent years, that career has apparently prevented Melton from participating in music as often as his former bandmates. AMG.

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Pulsar - Pollen 1976

French progressive rock band from Lyon whose influences include Pink Floyd, King Crimson and classical composers such as Gustav Mahler. Pulsar is the first French band to have signed with an English label Kingdom Records. The band recorded and published their first album Pollen in 1974. In 1975, Philippe Roman left the band. The following year, the group released their next albums The Strands Of The Future and Halloween, with new bassist Michel Masson. In the early 1980s, together with director Bruno Carlucci, Pulsar adapted a short story by Austrian novelist Peter Handke in musical theatre: Bienvenue Au Conseil D'Administration (1981). The band reconvened in 1989, releasing Görlitz. Pulsar reformed one last time in 2006, issueing Memory Ashes, produced by Cypress Music. Since then they continued with the new band project Siiilk.

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Baby Bertha - Just The Beginning 1972

Baby Bertha was a short-lived but ferocious British heavy blues/metal band, formed in late 1971 from the remnants of Relative. Anchored by Dave Ellis’s searing guitar and vocals, alongside Ian McLaughlin, Roger “Proff” Perry, and Desmond Law, the band tore through the south coast of England with high-energy live shows. In January 1972, they recorded a demo LP at SRT Studios in Luton, pressing only 50 copies, making it a rare collector’s item. The record showcases original compositions blending heavy blues, rock, and proto-metal, with Hendrix-inspired guitar work crashing into John Mayall-style grooves. These tracks capture a raw, explosive sound that would lay the groundwork for Ellis and McLaughlin’s next project, Charge. Sleeve notes by Dave Ellis offer insight into this hidden gem of early ’70s British rock.

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US 69 - Yesterdays Folks 1969

US American psychedelic rock band, late 1960s, based in Connecticut. Originally they went under the name The Mustard Family for one single. Then they changed for US 69 for their sole effort, US 69 - Yesterdays Folks released in March 1969, which contains the two songs from the single. 

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Euphoria - Euphoria 1969

By 1965, the musical duo known collectively as Euphoria -- bassist William D. "Bill" Lincoln and Hamilton Wesley Watt -- had already been in several bands in the L.A. area, including the War Babies (their song "Jeanie's Pub" appears on numerous compilations, including Teenage Shutdown: You Better Get a Move On!), and a band called the Word (reputedly a Christian garage folk group whose lone single had a juvenile delinquent theme). By 1967, the duo had relocated to the Houston area, where they often played with the 13th Floor Elevators. Lincoln and Watt were soon back in Hollywood, where they joined a folk-rock band called Euphoria. The other members of the band included Detroit-born guitarist Doug Delain and drummer Dave Potter, a veteran of the Texas band Endle St. Cloud and the L.A.-based East Side Kids. Delain later left the group to form the short-lived Motorcycle Abilene with then-unknown Warren Zevon (he also recorded songs with Ken Forssi and Alban Pfisterer of the Elektra band Love), while Potter formed Potter-St. Cloud with some of his former bandmates. Lincoln and Watt, meanwhile, continued to use the name Euphoria for the release of their only single -- "Hungry Woman" b/w "No Me Tomorrow" -- released on Chicago's Mainstream label. Both sides also appeared the following year on A Pot of Flowers, a Mainstream various-artists compilation. By 1968, the duo had written songs for Potter's East Side Kids (led by Jimmy Greenspoon, later founder of Three Dog Night), which appeared on their Tiger and the Lamb album for UNI. Watt also played guitar and contributed two songs to Lee Michaels' Carnival of Life. In 1969, Lincoln and Watt recorded an ambitious album of their own, A Gift from Euphoria, for Capitol Records, which is today highly collectible among psych rock collectors. Around this same time, the duo produced a few songs on The Wheel, a fantastic solo album by Bernie Schwartz (aka Don Atello and Adrian Pride). Lincoln and Watt continued to work behind the scenes in the L.A. music biz, mostly as session players; Lincoln plays bass on Mel Taylor & the Dynamics' live album from 1973, while Watt, often associated on projects with producer Buzz Clifford, appears on former East Side Kids/Three Dog Night songwriter Daniel Moore's own self-titled 1971 album for Dunhill (Moore and Clifford were also in a short-lived band, Carp, that featured actor Gary Busey). Incidentally, former Euphoria guitarist Delain has led quite an interesting life. A self-proclaimed "secret transvestite since childhood," Delain had the first of many sex change operations in 1969, and in 1978, officially changed his name to Angela Lynn Douglas (type either name into a search engine and enjoy the wild ride). Drummer Dave Potter, along with Tommy Thompson (owner of Bido Lito's, a Hollywood club during the '60s), perished in the 1980 MGM Hotel fire in Las Vegas. In 1996, A Gift from Euphoria was reissued on CD by See for Miles. AMG. 
"The Euphoria referenced in the review (Bill Lincoln & Wesley Watt) has nothing to do with the Euphoria who released the LP pictured (and available for download). That Euphoria was a short-lived US sunshine pop band active from 1968 to 1969. At the core were Roger & Wendy Penney, an acoustic duo performing in New York's Greenwich Village scene of folk clubs. They also acted in a theatre company, using the names Roger Becket and Wendy Becket. Tom Pacheco and Sharon Alexander joined them in 1968 to form the quartet Euphoria. Their lone album was released on the Heritage label in 1969, its songs mostly written by Tom Pacheco and sung by Roger and Wendy. By the time the album came out, their sound was falling out of fashion and live performances with at that time top selling artists were not enough to reach decent sales figures. As a result Euphoria disbanded shortly after, its members moving on to Pacheco & Alexander and The Bermuda Triangle." Pablo. 

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SRC - Milestones 1969

SRC's second album isn't radically different from their debut, but it certainly captures the group in more comfortable and energized form. Rather than go back into the studio, the members of SRC used their recording advance to build a recording setup in their rehearsal space, and on Milestones, the group seems more willing to push the songs in a harder and faster direction without losing touch with their psychedelic and progressive influences. Gary Quackenbush steps farther into the forefront with his lead guitar on Milestones, demonstrating why he was one of the most acclaimed soloists on the Detroit scene in the 1960s, and he bounces his lines off keyboard man Glenn Quackenbush and rhythm guitarist Steve Lyman with skill and fire. Scott Richardson's vocals are also in excellent form on this album, and he performs with greater passion and increased imagination on SRC's second effort, though he can't quite overcome some of the lesser material. And SRC were writing songs with a harder and more physical edge for Milestones, most notably "Checkmate" and "No Secret Destination," though if the album has a flaw, it's the presence of not one but two adaptations of the works of Edvard Grieg -- "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and "The Angel Song," Some might argue that SRC was best off leaving this sort of thing to Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but while the band can't quite rise above the material, they do sound far better and more comfortable performing Grieg than anyone would have a right to expect. If in many respects, Milestones was an experiment, it was a successful one, though it unfortunately didn't sell as well as the first album, leading to the first steps toward SRC's eventual breakup. AMG.

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Ache - De Homine Urbano 1971

Ache are a Danish progressive rock band that played a widely spaced and rather heavy, psychedelic variation of this style. Their last efforts tend to intricate pop rock with progressive elements. All members of Ache joined forces again as the session band Finn Olafsson Band on the 1983 album Vælg Selv. In 2019, they announced another comeback and a tour in 2020, which was postponed to 2022 due to the pandemic. Discogs.

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Soft Machine with Heavy Friends - BBC In Concert 1971

Recorded live at London's Paris Theatre on March 11, 1971, BBC in Concert 1971 captures Canterbury scene avant-garde jazz-rock icons Soft Machine augmented by prominent UK jazz guests, featuring a massive 30-minute improvisational medley and an introductory billing hosted by John Peel.

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Maggie & Terre Roche - Seductive Reasoning 1975

Seductive Reasoning is the debut album by the sibling folk duo Maggie and Terre Roche, released in 1975 on Columbia Records. It precedes their 1979 debut album as a trio, The Roches.

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Micah - I'm Only One Man 1971

"One of the truest examples of an early US prog obscurity, Micah was a progressive rock band that formed in Terre Haute, Indiana and existed for three years before becoming a mere footnote in history. This band featured Gary Taylor Ohlson (keyboards, Hammond organ, synthesizer), George Robert Wolff (drums, percussion), Martin "Marty" Horne (lead guitar), Gus Hernandez (bass) and Robert "Bob" Rowe (lead vocals).
The band only left behind this sole trace of its existence. I'm Only One Man appeared in 1971 with only a few private pressings. The original vinyl has become one of those highly desired collectibles however it has been re-released both on vinyl and CD on the Shadoks label in recent years. An interesting little musical specimen, there are really only two title tracks respectively with the added titling "Part I" and "Part II" however on the album itself it lists seven tracks with different titles. The entire album was only 30 minutes long but what an outstanding job these guys did!

This music is an excellent mix off 60s psychedelic rock with the classic Hammond organ sounds of Quatermass, Beggar's Opera, Cressida and even Deep Purple however the vocals are more in the soul category reminding of Steve Windwood and other bluesy singers from the late 60s. The energetic drive however is much more in the realms of the contemporary early 70s in the vein of Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and other heavier rock bands. Add the fuzz guitars, extraordinarily competent drumming wizardry and some bantering bass grooves and you got yourself an interesting specimen of underground prog here.
In many ways Micah sounded like a garage band at least in tone and timbre. There is an amateurish DIY vibe to the whole thing but brought to the next level with more than competent songwriting and exquisite instrumental interplay. While the two tracks are composed of myriad motifs, the entire album sort of connects in a continuous stream of consciousness. The segments are melodic and there is sort of a chorus / verse / bridge thing going on but the entire run features interesting connective instrumentals which lead back to a reprise of the vocal parts. It's all quite intelligently designed and while the main focus is on the melodic developments, the extended time allows some excellent soloing most pronounced on the organ but also from the guitar and drums.

This wasn't love at first listen. I'm not really fond of this vocal style and the organ sounds dated for 1971. This really evokes the 1968 timeline however some of the slower transitions remind me of The Move especially on "Shazam." More than anyone else though, Micah sounds like the American version of the UK's Cressida. The vocal range is similarly limited in range. The organs are the dominant instrumentation and the music exhibits a straightforward songwriting approach that has merely been augmented into crafting a longer stream of flow by adding jamming sections and off the wall twists and turns. It took a few listens but it finally sunk in how excellent this album really is. This is quite the undiscovered gem from the early US prog underground." Silly Puppy/ ProgArchives.

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Paul Butterfield's Better Days - Paul Butterfield's Better Days 1973

"We're the only band around that's playing rooted American music," Better Days vocalist and former folkie Geoff Muldaur told an interviewer when this album was first released in 1973, and with perhaps just a handful of exceptions he was right. The band's mix of various styles of blues, from rural (Robert Johnson), to cosmopolitan (Percy Mayfield), along with hints of New Orleans R&B, boogie woogie, and early rock and country, was tremendously out of step with the pop trends of its time.

These days, of course, there are many bands doing more or less the same thing (although rarely as well), but the fact that these guys couldn't have cared less about appearing trendy is one of the reasons why BETTER DAYS sounds timeless. Another reason, of course, is world class musicianship; Muldaur, Paul Butterfield, and stupendously stylish guitarist Amos Garrett in particular come across as both relaxed and passionate. Despite their essentially formalistic approach to music making, they never sound academic or sterile. BETTER DAYS is one of the great lost albums of the '70s. AMG.

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Alan Lorber Orchestra - The Lotus Palace 1967

A versatile and commercially successful composer, arranger, and producer, Alan Lorber has had a hand in thousands of recordings, ranging from pop (Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," Mike Clifford's "Close to Cathy") to R&B (Chuck Jackson's "I Wake Up Crying," Jackie Wilson's "Baby Workout") to psychedelic rock (Ultimate Spinach, Orpheus). He was busiest throughout the 1960s and wasn't merely a hired hand. In 1964, for instance, he put together the Mugwumps, a group notable for having featured future members of the Mamas & the Papas and the Lovin' Spoonful. (Lorber produced the latter's first Top Ten single, "Do You Believe in Magic.") During the late '60s, he established and developed the Boston (or Bosstown) Sound, a marketing concept that morphed into a full-blown rock scene. He has also released many of his own recordings, beginning with 1967's The Lotus Palace -- an orchestral pyschedelic album, consisting mostly of pop covers, that incorporated Indian music -- and continuing through the early 2000s, with a prolific run of releases credited to Alan Lorber 21st Century Orchestra. In his breathtakingly overblown liner notes, Alan Lorber describes this album as "one of the earliest examples of classical Indian music/jazz fusion." He also mentions that the concept grew out of a 30-second commercial he created for Chemical Bank, which tells you all you need to know about the authenticity of the end result. It's a cheesy relic of the psychedelic age, a few originals sitting side by side with faux Indian restaurant versions of contemporary rock songs by the Beatles, Tim Hardin, and the Blues Project, as well as covers of "Up, Up and Away" and "The Look of Love." With the recent explosion of interest in sordid vintage easy listening experiments, this may finally find its audience, but it would be erroneous to pretend that it was the product of any great artistic inspiration. The Lotus Palace was reissued on CD -- with bonus cuts, of course -- in 1997. AMG.

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